Housing Starts Surge 6.4 Pct. in October WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. housing starts jumped a larger-than-expected 6.4 percent in October to the busiest pace since December as buyers took advantage of low mortgage rates, a government report showed on Wednesday. However, permits, an indicator of builder confidence, dipped unexpectedly. Housing starts climbed to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.027 million units from an upwardly revised 1.905 million clip in September, the Commerce Department said. The gain in October erases a 5.6 percent drop the month before. Analysts polled by Reuters were expecting starts to rise last month to a 1.975 million rate. Permits slipped 0.7 percent to 1.984 million units from a 1.998 million pace in September. Analysts were expecting permits to advance to 2.000 million units. An earlier Mortgage Bankers Association report showed new applications for U.S. home loans rose last week as refinancing activity accelerated amid relatively flat long-term mortgage rates. Thirty-year mortgage rates, excluding fees, averaged 5.70 percent, up 0.01 percentage point from the previous week and 0.06 percentage point higher than a year ago, the Washington trade group said. Quelle "Housing Starts Surge 6.4 Pct. in October" : reuters.com Main page for "Housing Starts Surge 6.4 Pct. in October"